Jasper County hires Ramon Maxey as new veterans affairs director

It’s official. Ramon Maxey, a Marine veteran and former police officer for the Marshalltown Police Department, is the new director of Jasper County Veterans Affairs. The county board of supervisors approved his hiring in a 3-0 vote on March 11 after a positive recommendation from the veterans affairs commission.

According to county documents included in the board agenda, Maxey will be paid an annual salary of $61,000 and will start the job on March 17. Last week the Jasper County Veterans Affairs Commission unanimously recommended Maxey be hired as the new director after good feedback from the selection committee.

Dennis Simon, director of human resources for Jasper County, presented the hiring resolution to supervisors during their meeting this past week, and he also introduced them to Maxey, who attended the meeting. Simon said Maxey is a 24-year career Marine and is a retired police officer.

“In his last bit of service, their unit was in charge of transitioning the enlisted that have completed their requirements to get out,” Simon said. “He spent 12 years on the Marshalltown PD and currently is finishing up his service with UnityPoint in Marshalltown as armed security.”

Maxey made it clear he would be moving to Jasper County at some point, and he is excited for the opportunity to serve fellow veterans.

“I’m passionate about military,” Maxey said. “I grew up in it for crying out loud. Taking care of our veterans is huge, and I have a rapport with them. If my wife was here right now she’d tell you. I wear my Marine regalia all the time and people will come up and talk to me and blah, blah, blah just out of the blue.”

Seven applicants were interviewed by a selection committee over the past month. The committee was comprised of Simon, Supervisor Brandon Talsma, Lt. Mike Gunsaulus of the sheriff’s office and commissioners Ed Spangenburg and Marta Ford. In total, 19 applications were received for the position.

Veterans affairs has been without a director/administrator since December 2024.

The commission terminated former administrator Alyssa Wilson after the county conducted an internal investigation into her working habits. The report alleged she arrived late, left early, had extended lunch periods and other breaks and even falsified her timesheets.

In accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 35B, Jasper County is required to provide a veteran service administrator or executive director a minimum of 30 hours per week. It is based off the population of the county and not the population of veterans. The position is funded fully by the board of supervisors.

Some believe the position is partly funded by the state, which is not true. But the state does give $10,000 for office expenses and outreach events.